Jadeja: This is how I play

Scoring at a strike rate in excess of 100 is one of the toughest things to do on this Lord’s pitch where the bounce seems to be creating problems for batsmen.

It hardly mattered to Ravindra Jadeja, as he smashed a 57-ball 68 that not just made England’s chase difficult, but also shifted the momentum back to India.

The plan was just to back his instincts and play his natural game, Jadeja said at the end of proceedings on Day IV.

“When I came out to bat, I focused on playing my natural game irrespective of the situation.

“Whenever there was an opportunity, I would just go for my shots no matter who the bowler was… This is my game… This is how I play,” he explained.

Jadeja’s innings assumes greater significance because there wasn’t any intention of shifting gears even while he batted with the lower-order batsmen.

“I had no plans for half-measures. I just couldn’t go on and on leaving the ball and keep on defending. I wouldn’t be able to do that properly because that’s not my game. I kept egging myself on to play the way it suits me while going out to bat,” he said.

Talking about his bowling Jadeja said: “All of us know there is a foot mark to make things tougher for left-handers. I kept on trying to hit that area…

“Their batsmen didn’t find it easy to defend and the odd ball was bouncing as well…”